Edmonton Oilers suffer major loss of forward Zach Hyman with injury

Just before last night's game, the Oilers debuted a new balanced lineup with Hyman and Henrique on the first line, an experiment that quickly ended after Hyman's injury.

According to Oilers analyst Allan Mitchell, Edmonton may be looking at calling up a forward from the AHL in the wake of Hyman's injury.

There was no play in particular that seemed to hurt Hyman, but the Oilers forward left the game in the first period. The encouraging sign is that he returned to the bench, but then only played 2 shifts in the third - and finished with half of his usual ice time.

New Oilers forward Max Jones was the healthy scratch last night, and if Hyman isn't able to play against the New York Rangers, it's very likely he'll be the forward to draw into the lineup.

Still, the Oilers could make a roster move for another extra body depending on the severity of Hyman's injury.

Considering that Hyman is a top six player and expected to be an offensive producer, a call up for Matthew Savoie would make more sense if the injury is longer term.

It's very unfortunate for the Oilers to lose Hyman, especially as they were just starting to turn a corner with a more balanced lineup to get them out of their current rut.

If Hyman is absent for any amount of time, hopefully other Oilers can step up to fill his shoes.